competence.pur

Strategy and Consulting

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We are the “go-to” PR agency for food, beverages and lifestyle: industry-defining, distinctive and compelling. Because we also play an active role in the industry, we are well aware of the current trends, the developments lying ahead and which potential occupational and legal pitfalls we need to take into consideration in our work. That is why when we begin working with a customer, we perform an analysis of the milieu in which the company and the product currently exists, as well as the type of image they wish to communicate. We speak to experts and opinion leaders. We gauge the opportunities and risks. We identify strengths and weaknesses. This information forms the basis of the communication strategy, whether it is for a company, an association, products or services. The course of action is then based on this strategy. We cross-check the industry for the feasibility of our chosen course of action, in order to determine whether there is a realistic chance of implementation.

As PR specialists, we communicate in a structured and targeted manner to successfully execute our carefully tailored PR concept. As qualified food and nutrition experts, we also ensure that it is technically accurate, carrying out our work with the passion of an active member of the industry. We create a network to help our clients connect with their target groups, and we thrive on providing relationship management of the highest caliber. Since market conditions are in a continuous state of flux, no solutions are set in stone. We regularly conduct progress reviews and, over the course of the year, adjust the measures to be taken as required, in order to meet our clients’ goals.

With many of our clients, we have already covered a great deal of terrain in public relations and communications, continually adapting strategies to meet social trends and adjusting courses of action as needed. We have also optimized our own agency’s parameters, so that we, as consultants, can always determine and discuss subsequent steps on a one-to-one basis with our customers. The team regularly attends events, conferences and trade shows in the food and nutrition branches, holding many discussions behind the scenes in order to obtain industry information at its source. As industry consultants, we develop a strategy and find the most effective path for our clients concerning public relations and communications.

Public Relations

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In our minds, classic public relations still serve as the foundation for successful PR work. The comprehensive and labor-intensive action plans that our agency develops and consolidates in their classic public relations work, ensure that you, as our clients, receive ongoing reports regarding your company, your products and markets and the relevant forms of media – online as well as offline, B2B as well as B2C.

With a well-versed topic management team, who maintain active relations with key media sources and are armed with an up-to-date basic press kit, containing meticulously compiled, continually updated distribution lists that are expanded by our staff, we lay the foundations for placing your core message where your customers will take notice. An ongoing and constantly updated question and answer catalog (FAQ) provides consistent answers to potential and sometimes critical questions that we anticipate the press, consumers and trade associates may pose. The initiation and development of strategically designed media relations as well as responses to press enquiries round out the classic PR work we do. Experience has taught us that there is no such thing as a standardized public relations office. Further nuances emerge as we execute PR work for each individual client, because every client’s project and communication task presents a new challenge for our team and our agency. We make sure that our public relations service is customized to meet your exact needs. Depending upon the nature of the work required, we may work in collaboration with a company, or on other occasions, we may function as an external press office on behalf of a company.

Texts and Editing

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The written word forms the basis of public relations. Whether it is a press release, a speech for the groundbreaking ceremony at a new production site, a trade article for a nutritional science publication, a project report for the trade press or developing texts for a website, blog or interview – as a specialized agency, we are sure to find just the right tone, the correct wording and perfect style to address your readers and recipients.

But we deliver much more. Functioning as an external editorial team, we support publishing houses with concepts for trade publications as well as consumer media. In our agency, we also arrange editorial planning schedules, manage page planning, research external authors and lend our trade knowledge to many articles. We have also worked as trendsetting editor-correspondents for publishers on various occasions and are always up for new challenges.

Social Media

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Online channels have become a staple element in terms of communication, be it for distributing written or spoken text, video or images – and in the long run, they will continue to shape the future of PR. These channels are subject to constant change: Platforms that are essential today may have disappeared from the stage as communication media in just one year from now.

Our job, as an agency, is to keep an eye on new developments and professionally evaluate which media should be used for particular types of communication and products – and which shouldn’t. After all, even in the social media jungle, applying the principle “The more, the better!” is not an efficient method for reaching your targets. In fact, it may well be counterproductive, as mistakes are quickly reprimanded online. Customized strategies lead to the specified outcome, and we will help you develop them. We are happy to take on the implementation of these strategies across various media outlets too, or we are happy to stand at your side to offer practical advice, day-in, day-out.

Blogger Relation

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Sweeping campaigns, mass mailings and the discourse of bloggers on the national level are not our focus. We always operate not only in the interest of the client but also for bloggers and their fans. Prior to making a statement, we take a close look at the blogs and decide on a case-by-case basis whether the blogger and the product are truly a good match. We also evaluate how much the blog’s followers would gain – or expect to gain – from the campaign. Whether it is a paid blog contribution, a blog parade or a blogger event, we decide together with bloggers and clients how a specific collaboration can help both parties reach their goal.

For us, bloggers are important opinion leaders and are viewed as specialists for very specific niches by consumers. Their articles, advice, recipes and test results are authentic and honest. Bloggers dedicate their blogs to their hobby and, as such, the feelings they share about topics come straight from the heart. They are emotionally involved, invest a great deal of time in their blogs and, as a result, they usually have a large number of readers and fans. Aside from their blogs, they frequently produce work for other social media channels, in order to expand their reach.

Events and Trade Shows

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Trade shows, conferences or other events are ideal platforms for communication allowing you to engage in personal dialogue with your target audience and gather a great deal of information.

We not only help you to develop a concept and prepare your trade show presence, but we can also represent your company as a team of experts at your stand at in-house exhibitions, scientific conferences or technical training, in retail or in gastronomy. In addition, we utilize individual conversations with journalists at trade show stands to generate new topics for feature reports, to talk with press representatives and to extend invitations to trade press talks or press events.

Internal Communication

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As one of the most important and core target audiences, employees require a different approach and special information. We understand all of the building blocks that constitute successful internal communication and continually find creative ways to involve employees – enabling them to become motivated representatives of the company’s own brand. From company magazines to internal newsletters or communication related to employee events – we are your partner for the entire spectrum of internal communications.

In the event of unusual changes within a company – such as mergers in branches of the industry, acquisitions in new markets and services or the fusion of various associations – good internal communication paves the path to success in subsequent stages of a company’s development. This is where our agency can step in as consultants to plan the most suitable communication steps and execute these on your behalf.

Crisis Management

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Nobody wishes to do so, but sometimes it is essential to implement a strategic crisis management plan to prevent damaging the image of individual products and the brand itself.

Every business should be prepared with a crisis management plan, not only for production operations but also for their communications. An internal crisis team that attends regular training sessions can react quickly and precisely. Together with each company, we identify areas of potential crisis over the course of several workshops. The team is then trained to manage various crisis scenarios. If a recall is necessary in the event of a crisis, we always stand at our client’s side to aid, comfort and advise them in these difficult situations.

Mailings and Questionnaires

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We do not provide opinion research services; however, we do possess a fair amount of influence in the industry. As such, we can demonstrate trends to our customers and calculate qualitative results by questioning colleagues in the food, beverage and nutrition industries.

These results help us adjust and confirm PR strategies as well as enhance press releases. Personalized and customized mailings reach your target audience to convey key messages and to introduce new products and services.